Exercises for Cervical Spondylosis

Medically Reviewed By : Dr Sravya, MBBS, MS

Introduction

The medical condition of cervical spondylitis causes the deterioration of the disc’s, ligaments and vertebrae in the cervical spine or neck. There are some of the steps, which can be helpful for the patient, he/she, from preventing the signs and symptoms from getting worse and managing the pain.
Cervical spondylitis is also known as cervical arthritis, degenerative osteoarthritis, or arthritis of the neck. The cervical spine does refer to the topmost portion of the spine, which does form the neck. A series of the vertebrae, or the seven bones, do join up the spine’s cervical region. Also, they do start from the base of the skull.
In this kind of medical condition, the edges of the vertebrae often develop bone spurs, which are called osteophytes. Moreover, the disc’s get thinner, and their ability to absorb the shock is lost, which increases the risk of signs and symptoms. As we all know, as this condition doesn’t have any signs or symptoms. When this kind of condition occurs, the signs and symptoms do tend to be resolved over time, and more often than not, people opt for non-surgical treatment. In many of the cases, the orthopaedic surgeons or doctors may recommend surgery.

Let’s see, what are the signs and symptoms of this condition, which are:

In This Article

Sign And Symptoms

Many of the patients,might not have any signs or symptoms of this condition.Whereas,some of the people,do have a pain in the neck.As such,the pain might be radiating somewhere else,more oftenly it is seen in shoulders or head.Some of the signs and symptoms of this condition,can be:
Having changes in posture or stiff movements.
Having a headache.
Having stiffness in the neck.
Facts to know: Apart from these, legs and arms also, might become weak and it might be also, be having a lacking of dexterity. Many of the times, these kind of changes is a resultant in a compression of the blood vessels. This can also, be affecting the blood supply to the brain, resultant to it in the blackouts and dizziness.

Risk Factors

We have already,seen the signs and symptoms,let’s now move onto the risk factors,which can be:
Having high blood pressure levels.
Having a habit of smoking.
Having an advancing age factor.
Having a condition of obesity.
I Have diabetes.
Having a tear in the joints,such as,repetitive injuries.
Having a family history or in heredity, which might be indicating a risk.

Causes

As we all know, in today’s fast going on life, Osteoarthritis has been one of the leading factors of cervical arthritis. The condition of osteoarthritis does occur when the cartilage which cushions the joints does break down. This situation can be caused due to the tear and wear of the cartilage.
Medical practitioners and researchers do states that, the kind of risk factors might be increasing the negative effects of the tear of this condition, which do leads to:

Ethnicity.
Lifestyle changes.
Sex.
Epigenetics, which means the changes which have occurred in the environment would be affecting the genes.
Genetics. As and how, the commonly seen risk factor of osteoarthritis is ageing.
Another type of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis might be affecting the cervical spine and though it is less often seen. Now,Let’s switch to the exercise part!

Exercises

There are some amount of exercises, for this kind of a condition, which may depend on the severity of the pain and varies from a person to another. Physiotherapy, do plays a vital role, for just not only curing this condition, but also for regaining the amount of strength and Range of Motion(ROM) to the normal. Some of the exercises, could be:

1. Chin to chest:

First of all,the patient should be sitting upright in a chair or standing in a position,with the shoulders and spine straight.
Now,slowly they should tilt down the head,so,that,the chin can rest on the shoulder.
Therefore,gently tense the neck muscles.
Hold it,for about 5-10 seconds,return to the centre and repeat it again,same as on the other side.
Repeat this exercise,for about 2-4 times in a day.

2. Head tilt(side-to-side)stretches:

A patient should be seated on the chair,with the back and neck straight.
Now,slowly they should tilt the neck towards their shoulders,leading with the ear.
After that,gently tense the muscles.
And,now,hold it for about 5-10 seconds,return back to the centre and repeat it again,same as unto the other side.
Repeat this exercise, for about 2-4 times in a day.

3. Turning the head:

A patient should be sitting on the chair,with the shoulders in a neutral position and back straight.
Now,tilt the head onto the one side,as on,by looking on the shoulder,for keeping the chin straight.
After that, gently tense the neck muscles.
Now, hold it for about 5-10 seconds, return back to the centre and repeat this again on the other side too.
Repeat this exercise,for about 5 times in a day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cervical spondylitis is a chronic medical condition and it might be causing stiffness, discomfort and pain. Cervical spondylitis isn’t a life-threatening medical condition. It can be treated with proper lifestyle changes, exercises and medications.

If a person is suffering with the medical condition of cervical spondylitis, it is very important for remaining active and also, do the appropriate exercises for keeping the bones and muscles in the limber and back stronger. Though, avoiding smoking and maintaining a healthy weight helps to lower down the symptoms. While lifting up heavy objects to avoid pain, it is very important to adopt a proper way to lift up objects.

By making changes in the routine lifestyle, maintaining proper posture and exercises of the back muscles would be helpful for the tear and wear of the vertebrae and also, for reducing the risk of back pain. This can include good ergonomics of do’s and don’ts or while standing or sitting in proper form while lifting up heavy objects.

There are some useful exercises for reducing the amount of pain and treating the condition of cervical spondylitis they are:

(i) A person should be standing in front of the mirror with their back touching the wall in a straightforward way. After that, they should try to exert the force on the wall with the help of their neck and back.
(ii) By doing this exercise, it helps for maintaining the proper posture of the body, so that you don’t get bent down.

There are different kinds of occupations which induces the condition of cervical spondylitis, which we are discussing below:

(i) Coal miners.
(ii) People who are working in the fields of information technology (IT), computer science, or computer operators.
(iii) People who are carrying weight on their shoulders such as construction site workers.
(iv) Drivers.
(v) A typer.

Don’ts:

(i) Not to move your body but turn your feet first and then, move the body.
(ii) Not to sit for a longer period of time in stressful postures.
(iii) Not to lie flat down on your stomach.
(iv) Not to lift any kinds of weights or anything on your shoulders and back.

Do’s:

(i) To use soft cushions or firm mattresses.
(ii) Use firm collars while you are travelling or you are on a trip.
(iii) When you get up from lying down, do turn from one side.
(iv) Do exercises or yoga in your daily routine.
(v) Avoid going on bad roads while travelling.

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